Apparently conservatives don't want to get any smarter either. They are now attacking universities claiming they promote "liberal thinking," otherwise known to intelligent people as intelligence.

Studies show that conservative brains are different. They have an enlarged gland that promotes fight or flight responses. Meaning they live in a fear based state. Why would anyone want to live that way?

So better education might mitigate fear, also allow one to see through BS, and think rationally. Why wouldn't you want that? How can you have discourse with someone in fear? So ya, not much fun to talk to that type of person.

Yesterday here in Helena, we had the March Against Guns (1,000 people showed up) and the March For Guns (150 people showed up).

As someone who is of moderate political beliefs, I just shake my head at the both of them.

The NRA backed group, they should just go away and disappear. No need to debate with stupid.

The anti-gun crowd, I am in total agreement with their proposed legis;ation. But I do not think it will make any difference in stopping the mass shootings. America is already well armed, and no one is going to take our guns away.

My personal advocated solution is universal health care, modern digital records for all, so we can catch and help those who are going to go postal. But the freaking morons who are so pro gun hate spending ANY money on mental health treatment.

As I said earlier in this thread, there is a special place in hell for you Rat bastard Republicans.

Gunnar, for the most-part I enjoy your posts here at MC.com and have laughed at a few of them.

...But I see your logic of stereotyping Trump supporters (no, I don't support him nor did I support Hillary)as not reading/not doing their research and calling them "stupid" across the board while refusing to have dialogue with them for that reason as very flawed. I can't help but wonder if you are being facetious/trying to goad certain people here.

It is my belief that those who do their "research" by listening only to one side of an issue that agrees with their own are just as bad as those who do no research at all. There's a lot of that going on with both sides.

As for me, even though I have always been "right-leaning" politically. I take some pride in having allowed my thinking to evolve as I've aged and had children. I really do try to research and listen to both sides of an issue before I decide my own stance on it.

I guess my point is that I am open to some form of civil discourse here and there being that I already practice it some. I don't want to be doing that constantly to the point that it rules my life, but I like here-and-there discussions on issues of the day, be it gun control or whatever else.

Allowing yourself to fall to the point of constantly calling people "stupid" and condemning them to hell, though? Come on man! That's a bit much.

Retreating further into the identity politics bunkers will get us nowhere. Finger pointing, name calling, and claiming mental and/or moral superiority over any group of people is a surefire way to alienate and make people feel victimized, which undercuts our ability to make progress on things we care about. We can all agree on something, we just have to find it. The 1st amendment is pretty great, no one should be against that; we just found common ground.

Steve, have you heard about Bret Weinstein and Evergreen State in California? Or Lindsay Shepard and Wilfred Laurier University in Canada? These two examples illustrate the intolerance of SOME people on the left and started the conversation about liberal group-think on universities. U.C. Berkeley spent $600,000 on security when Ben Shapiro, conservative journalist, gave a talk on campus. $600,000 Just to TALK about ideas. Also, could you provide a link to the study you cited about "conservative" brains please, I would like to read it.

People are the greatest asset this country has. I know a number of people who voted for Trump and none have the characteristics that have been described in previous posts. Trump is a symptom of a problem and the only way we figure that out is by willfully engaging people we disagree with in civil discourse.

Gunnar, I doubt that you and I agree on every issue our great country faces, but as a fellow homebrewer I would gladly open my door to you or anyone else and share some beer over civil discourse.

Oh, and, Ben Shapiro needs to be taken out back and severely beaten. That guy is as big of a partisan hack as you will ever find. Why the Miles City Star wastes valuable space printing his column I will never understand.

I would be very pleased to see this County begin to engage in civil discourse about the issues confronting us today. It would be good for us all if we could begin to solve some problems rather screaming at one another. We need to start talking (talking, not CAPLOCKING). If we could learn to disagree without being disagreeable about, I think we’d find common ground enough to come up with some solutions.Manners, respectful discourse, and all of that would be a big step forward.

really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.

It's awesome to have discourse over political differences and try to empathize with the other person's viewpoint but it'll never work if one side of the debate isn't particularly serious about engaging.

For example, on the issue of gun control, a prominent Republican thinker-type suggested that kids didn't need to advocate for gun control, their time would be better spent learning CPR, to aid the wounded.

On the topic of opioid addiction, we have the President of the United States suggesting that the way to deal with our current crisis is to execute street-level dealers, and his associate, Ms. Kellyanne Conway suggests that the best way to avoid the ennui that inevitably leads to freebasing heroin is to indulge in snack foods such as candy or ice cream. Lest you think I'm lying: https://www.marketwatch.c...2018-03-22

Truly, a party of thinkers, I'm sure we'll eventually figure out something to order for supper.

David, thanks for the correction on where Evergreen is located as well as the link to the brain study. Regardless of Shapiro's journalistic abilities, as an American he has a right to free speech like all of us. Using violence to shutdown someone's right to free speech is straight out of the fascist handbook. Shapiro was the first example to pop into my head, there are other examples of people on the right and left being subjected to this type of action.

In regards to the brain study, I found it fascinating. I would lean towards using the information from the study as a bridge rather than a club. So conservatives have enhanced fight or flight; insulting them seems like the worst way to try and engage them and leads to a vicious cycle of unproductive interactions. This also illustrates why we need to engage with each other. There are times when a fear is legitimate and could be helpful and there are other times when someone should be talked off the cliff.

A neat preliminary study, however, we should not exaggerate the conclusions that can be drawn from the study. On page 679 the authors state no causal relationships can be determined from the study and more intensive research is needed. Link to the paper below.

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(11)00289-2.pdf

Bridgier, the initial post that started this thread suggests that the side unwilling to engage in substantive discussions is on the left. I agree that the President is insane and Conway is a nut job. I think most people do. Are there people who fall in line behind everything that comes out of every conservatives mouth? Absolutely, but the same can be said for people who lean left. To suggest every right or left leaning person is %100 behind the statements people make on their respective sides is a stretch.

Bridgier makes my point. How can you have meaningful discussion with anyone who covers their ears and screams "fake news" when you point out facts? "Mainstream media lies!" This is no different than the Goebbels propaganda machine of the 1930s.

I'm not planning to try to have rational discourse with the Flat Earth Society. Why should I try have to rational discourse with the Republican party?

Shu, I hear what you are saying and should amend my statement. I have plenty of conservative/Republican friends who voted for Trump, judging him to be the lesser of two evils compared to Hillary Clinton. While I disagree with their logic, I understand it and accept it. But, they all recognize that Trump is a giant douche now. If you are still part of the 35% who cling to Trump's every word, and are yelling "Lock her up! Fake news! Drain the swamp!" and similar jingoistic slogans, than yes, I believe there is a special place in hell for you.

Dustin, re-read my initial statement. I made no accusations about the left or the right, liberal/progressive vs. conservative. I am a moderate, who is pro-mining, pro-oil and gas development, and believes in lesser government. I think we could find a lot in common over beer. My point remains, if you still support Trump, you are an idiot. There are plenty of fine conservatives you can rally behind with, and I would have no trouble engaging them is a meaningful discussion, as they can accept facts but can counter with their own facts and right or wrong, beliefs. Heck, if you want to still believe in supply side economics, that is fine with me. But, facts do not originate with talking points on Fox and Friends.

Dustin - I'll believe that this administration doesn't speak for the average montana republican party member when either:

1) Greg Gianforte loses his primary to republican who calls for a full and fair investigation into russian influence in the 2016 election and impeachment if there is credible evidence that illegal activities took place, or

2) Montana replaces Greg Gianforte with a Democrat in the general.

Otherwise, I don't believe you. Party or Country, the choice, as always, is yours.

I'll take my customary downvote from Bill Bloom now, I can only assume that he's happy with Trump and the job he's doing.

Gunnar, thanks for the clarification. I understand your hesitancy to engage with the crowd you are describing, it often feels like an exercise in futility. However, I have seen those conversations bear fruit. But I respect your decision to eschew those conversations. I would consider myself centrist or moderate politically as well. I apologize if any of my posts misrepresented what you or anyone else was saying. Two thumbs up for seeking truth and presenting fact-based arguments.

Bridgier-- My argument is, assuming every conservative supports everything the President or a conservative senator or representative says is presumptuous. Gunnar stated he knows many conservatives who voted for Trump because of the alternative and many of those same people concede the guy is a joke. I know similar people. Whether they are right or wrong in their logic for voting for Trump is a different argument. I believe when we start presuming what people think we lose the opportunity to have a conversation which I view as a mistake. You are right, it's our choice. We can choose to engage or not. We might never change someone's mind on an issue but we will definitely not change someone's mind if we don't take the time to engage with and understand a person's worldview. People are what make this country great and the amount of vitriol between Americans right now is shaking the foundations of the country. Until we are able to mend some fences between one another I think arguing about which politician is better will not be very productive. Again, there are things we can all agree on (the 1st Amendment rocks) so I guess I prefer to find the common ground and go from there.

There you go, Bill. I gave Bridgier the downvote I’m sure you’ve been aching to give him.

We now live in a post-fact, post-truth era. I became more aware of “alternative facts”, as they have become known (thanks Kellyanne) when George W. Bush became president. The justification for the Iraq war based on the alternative fact that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, even though the UN inspectors could find no evidence that these weapons existed. Then there is the alternative fact that tax cuts for the wealthy increase tax revenues. The Republicans proceeded to blow up the balanced budget achieved by Bill Clinton and the previous Republican Congress by giving tax cuts to the rich. More proof beyond the recently passed tax bill and budget that the GOP doesn’t give a crap about deficits or the national debt.

So how did we get to this point, where people on opposite side of the political spectrum can’t even agree on a set of objective and provable facts? The Atlantic published a great article recently that gives a good overview explaining how this happened, providing examples from both the left and the right.

The Economist also released an article on this topic. This article references the “backfire effect”, where a person, when presented with facts contradicting their preconceived beliefs, refuse to change their opinion, or even consider the new information, and become even more entrenched in their views. Research suggests that conservatives are more likely to suffer from this phenomenon than liberals.

“humans do not naturally seek truth. In fact, as plenty of research shows, they tend to avoid it. People instinctively accept information to which they are exposed and must work actively to resist believing falsehoods; they tend to think that familiar information is true; and they cherry-pick data to support their existing views. At the root of all these biases seems to be what Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel-prizewinning psychologist and author of a bestselling book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow”, calls “cognitive ease”: humans have a tendency to steer clear of facts that would force their brains to work harder.”

In the scientific world, there is a whole industry producing fake science funded by corporations, with the purpose of undermining legitimate research. Especially research that may lead to policy decisions that would improve public health at the expense of corporate profits.

Now we have Cambridge Analytica with Russian troll farms and confirmation by all our intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in our election with the goal of getting Trump elected. A fact that the Republicans refuse to acknowledge, and won’t even consider the idea that Trump may have colluded with the Russians and are actively trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation. All of this with 9+ years of birtherism, BENGHAZI!!, Obama secret armies, Agenda 21, taking away guns, HILLARY EMAILS!!, Uranium One, Clinton Foundation, school shooting crisis actors, pizzagate, and any number of Republican nutjob conspiracies, I don’t see civil discourse returning anytime soon.

Probably the most interesting thing in my long life is having been interested in our Political growth. Started with Hitler and the relief when he and others were defeated and we no longer had to dive under desks and hang dark cloth on the windows. Progress continued and then in 1964, a guy by the name of Barry Goldwater surfaced..a John Bircher who was very much against the Civil Rights Act. Luckily, he was defeated BUT..they just went underground.

The very Radical Billionaire Libertarians, The KOCH Brothers, etal, branched off into smaller groups to infiltrate the Republican Party. They became full-blown Republicans in 1996. They felt that the Republican Party Infrastructure was not worth a damn so they took over.

You must have noticed ALEC, AFT (Grover Norquist and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge)..I still have the list of signers from 2014..three are presently in office in Helena, two at the Federal Level and one is on the ballot for the Republicans presently. Then..there is the CATO Institute and the Heritage Center. They needed the Evangelical folks and started with giving huge sums to the Colleges; Jerry Falwell University, Oral Roberts and others...and, in return, "Freedom" Classes became available. So much more and "all in all" their purpose was for the Minority to become the Majority. Their objective is to tear this Government out by the roots. "Minimize the role of Government in order to Maximize the PRIVATE Economy and to Maximze Personal Freedom". Think about it☺

You can learn so much more about it by reading "Dark Money" and "Democracy in Chains". I have a box of John Bircher philosophy books obtained at an Estate Auction in Rosebud area. Many other titles but I think that the two I mention give a vivid description. Pretty interesting when such strength can induce people to vote against their own well-being. They sell "Packaging, not Content"..they talk about "People not Things". The list of Libertarians is on Wikipedia.

I cannot help but think that Real Republicans still believe in messages that are in Governor Aronson and Governor Babcock's State of the State speeches. Those were civil discourse days as there were specifics to debate and it was darn easy to vote for an individual despite party affiliation. Now..the "Coup" is in full bore and a Risk for a Government as we think it should be. Or, at least as our Government Classes used to teach.

I think EVERYONE is smart enough to catch on to what is going on as things are cratering around us. Mr. Trump and Russia are one thing BUT, the KOCH's are the other and even if he would not be there to work for them, there are others remaining. Ayn Rand, the Tea Party and other extensions. Please, think of the kids and their future.

Civil discourse also depends on a free press -- not a controlled press, a state-owned press, or a monopolistic corporate-controlled press -- otherwise if it's not a free press, it's brainwashing!

Last year Senator John McCain said that dictators get started by consolidating power and shutting down the press. Senator McCain said a free press is vital to preserving democracy. You will recall that Trump frequently criticizes the press.

Now let's consider Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation which owns 190+ local tv stations around the U.S. (wants to buy more stations) and reaches a third of television viewers. Sinclair Broadcasting combines news with right leaning partisan politics. People trust their local anchors for the news on Sinclair-owned tv stations, but it turns out the local Sinclair anchors are not writing all the scripts.

Here is a recent video of many Sinclair tv anchors across the U.S. reading the same script.

Backstory: During the 2016 presidential election, Sinclair Broadcasting struck a deal with the Trump campaign to give Sinclair extended access to the Trump campaign, in exchange for airing, without further commentary, interviews with Trump on its stations.

And, recently Sinclair Broadcasting mandated that its outlets run a segment on the so-called deep state that was produced by a former reporter for the Russian propaganda outlet RT, according to a recent Newsweek report. (emphasis mine.)

MCD, I checked your link for the names of the stations and "Lo and Behold" it has been removed and the name changed. An aside..Mr. Murdoch of FOX News is a John Bircher Billionaire Radical Libertarian. The very reason that I love books ☺ Part of the Script is the "Blame Game". Blame the opposition for what YOU are doing. They think that their "Take Over" is fooling people. An amazing time.

The KOCH Brothers' felt that Conservatives have an Empathy problem and they must portray that "Fairness Matters". So...the goal...Improve their Image. 1) Talk about Fairness, 2) Help the Vulnerable, 3) Fight for people and 4) Tell stories. "Find out what the customer wants, not what we want them to buy". THEN, hide their political money in 501 (c) (4) Social Welfare Groups. Provoke scandals about the others whether they are true or not. Oh there is so much and it is so "Dark" and the only reason it is worth talking about is that we have kids who are going to have to live in this country and they deserve a chance.

Hal has a very interesting article from the Atlantic that is definitely worth the read.

Civil discourse emerging from Trump's Tweets is getting even more uncivil than usual and very crazy today.

Now, Trump wants the Washington Post to register as a lobbyist organization (instead of a news organization) for its owner, Jeff Bezos. Bezos also owns Amazon.com, and Trump is accusing Bezos' and Amazon.com, of conducting a "Post Office scam."

NOTE: It should be remembered that The Washington Post is considered a newspaper of record which means according to Wikipedia, "it is a major newspaper that has a large circulation and whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered professional and typically authoritative."

I wonder what Trump has in store for the other newspaper of record he dislikes -- the New York Times?

And, predictably, the market closed 459 points down today on the news about Trump's trade war with China and Trump's crazy tweets about amazon.com!

"At one point, the Dow was down as much as 758 points. Market analysts blamed the sell-off on the first day of the second quarter on concerns about trade tensions and President Trump's attacks on Amazon."

It is redundant to argue Democrat or Republican....Liberal or Conservative. We need to discuss the retention of DEMOCRACY. I know that Miles City, etal still have many readers and a heads up...Madelaine Albright's new book, "Fascism:A Warning" is coming out on Tuesday, the 10th. Again...this is about our Kids and their FUTURE☺

I guess Trump's tweets about Jeff Bezos and Amazon is one way to destroy the free press in America. Yesterday, Amazon lost $35 billion in stock value due to Trump's threats.

As usual, Trump, in so many ways, continually shows us that he is not a nice guy!

"President Donald Trump’s threats to raise postal rates on the tech giant Amazon — which many consider his proxy war against the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post — cost the company over $35 billion in stock value on Monday, suggesting Trump’s war with the media has the potential to hit media companies in their pocket books."

If your not smart enough to spread your resources around multiple investmests and proactive enough too park them in safe places during turbulence times of the WALL STREET CASINO you should not be in it.Capitalism works great.. CAPITALISM FOR DUMMIES might be a good thing to put on your reading list.

"Sinclair TV Chairman to Trump: 'We are here to deliver your message' -- The right wing broadcaster met Trump at the White House to pitch a potentially lucrative new product to officials" by Jon Swaine, The Guardian, April 10, 2018

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday for a government-wide review of welfare programs, with a goal of putting more people back to work, White House officials said.

The order directs all federal agencies involved in providing more than $700 billion in low-income assistance annually to study programs that are “failing Americans,” and to report back in 90 days with recommendations, said White House domestic policy council director Andrew Bremberg.

Not sure if you are joking, Snowy, as your writing skills are so poor, it is often difficult to decipher the meaning of your post. But to clarify, I don't think anyone here at mc.com hates anyone to the core.

I call you stupid just as I call my Trump supporter friends stupid to their face. I suppose, on the Internet, it might come off as mean. But as anyone who knows me can attest, this is how I sound like in real life.

One of the brothers who control Sinclair Broadcasting has donated more than $10,000 to Greg Gianforte, the Republican congressman who assaulted a journalist and then lied to police about it.

Robert E Smith, whose company is the biggest owner of television stations in the US, last month gave a maximum $5,400 campaign contribution to Greg Gianforte, the congressman for Montana, according to a federal filing. He did the same last year.

Gianforte was fined and sentenced to community service and anger management classes in June last year, after pleading guilty to assaulting the Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs on the eve of his special election victory the previous month.

Smith stated when donating to Gianforte last month that he was self-employed and worked in real estate, an apparent reference to a commercial property firm he founded. His connection to Sinclair was not noted. He did not respond to an email seeking comment.

When he donated $5,400 to Gianforte in 2017, Smith said he was retired. He did the same when giving $10,000 to the Montana Republican party before the assault. Smith has also donated $5,000 to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, variously stating that he was a self-employed musician and a director. . . .

Smith has been a director of Sinclair Broadcast Group since 1986, according to the company. He owns 19% of the company, according to a regulatory filing last year, while his brothers David, Duncan and Frederick together own another 55%.

This disclosure of Smith’s contribution to Gianforte follows a controversy over Sinclair Broadcasting joining Donald Trump’s attacks against journalism. The company instructed news anchors around the US to recite a script about “fake stories” and “false news” that echoed Trump’s own complaints.